Fido and Abe

An acquaintence of mine (a Republican!) was grousing about the 'Obama dog' the other day, ranting about how the Obamas have 'used' the dog to get publicity.  "But most Presidents have had dog," I protested.  And that got me thinking...have they?

I did a limited google search and found a blog about Lincoln that had a really interesting story about his dog Fido.  It seems Lincoln was very bonded to Fido but didn't feel he would be happy at the White House, so he found him another home, stipulating that he be an indoor dog and treated like a member of the family.  The Lincolns even gave the new family their old couch that Fido liked to sleep on!

When Lincoln was assassinated, Fido was taken to the memorial and, following the days of mourning, postcards with Fido's photo on them were very popular items.  If you ever run across one today, grab it as they are valuable collector's items!

We tend to think that our love for our pets is a recent development in our society, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  Now I'm wondering if George Washington had a pet? (photo from the Abraham Lincoln Research site)

--Laurel

 

Comments

[jan]

http://thepoodleanddogblog.typepad.com/the_poodle_and_dog_blog/2009/02/george-washington-hunter-dog-breeder-general-president.html

I've written about a lot of Presidential pets.

[Dana]

I like knowing that people with tremendous amounts of power also feel the same compassion and love for pets that many of us do. It makes them more "human" to me.

[Tammy]

I remember reading some of your posts about president's dogs Jan! It is very interesting to hear about the history of dogs in our White House!

I also agree, Dana. I like knowing that our leaders love animals the way the rest of us do! I see pictures of President Obama with Bo, and they always make me smile!

I was really interested to read that Lincoln looked out for his dog - even finding him a new home so he would be happier. That is dedication!